Bulls praise NBA's anti-flopping rule

October 03, 2012|By K.C. Johnson | Tribune reporter

NEW YORK -- The NBA announced Wednesday a new rule aimed at eliminating flopping.

"Flops have no place in our game -- they either fool referees into calling undeserved fouls or fool fans into thinking the referees missed a foul call," executive vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson said. "Accordingly, both the Board of Governors and the Competition Committee felt strongly that any player who the league determines, following video review, to have committed a flop should -- after a warning -- be given an automatic penalty."

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau expressed support for the rule Wednesday.

"Every year, there's usually a few points of emphasis," he said. "The flopping is something they've discussed for a number of years. The game is in a very good place right now. You're always trying to improve it. I think it will be better. The flopping has gotten a little out of hand."

According to the league's release, "'Flopping' will be defined as any physical act that appears to have been intended to cause the referees to call a foul on another player. The primary factor in determining whether a player committed a flop is whether his physical reaction to contact with another player is inconsistent with what would reasonably be expected given the force or direction of the contact."

Any player guilty of flopping will be subject to a warning, followed by a $5,000 fine for a second violation. The fine will increase $5,000 for a third and fourth violation, while a fifth flop will result in a player's wallet being $30,000 lighter.

Six or more violations will lead to an increased fine and/or suspension.

Several Bulls praised the rule.

"Dwight (Howard) is going to love that rule," Carlos Boozer said. "Most of the big men are pretty finesse but for us powerful guys like myself, Dwight, Zach Randolph, Blake Griffin, guys flop on us. To me, I think it helps our game. It’s almost like a bailout. They flop and the possession is over as opposed to playing defense.

"We don’t flop over here. We play D. If we take charges, it’s a real charge. There are some teams that live and die by the flop. I like the rule. It puts pressure on guys to play better defense."

The league will announce at a later date a separate set of penalties for flopping that will apply during the playoffs.